How to import a PDF bank statement into Xero
When a bank feed isn't available – or you need months from before the feed started – Xero lets you import a statement by hand. It accepts the PDF statement itself, or a file of transactions: OFX, QFX or QBO, QIF, or CSV. Which route works better depends on your bank, how many statements you have, and how sure you need to be that every line made it in.
Route 1: Xero's own PDF import
Xero reads the PDF and shows you the transactions to review before you complete the import. According to Xero's help, the PDF has to:
- be in English, and be a bank or credit card statement;
- have no more than 100 pages and be 35 MB or less, without a password;
- if scanned, be at least 200 DPI and scanned straight – crooked scans can fail;
- cover one bank account – import a separate file for each account.
Xero lists the banks whose statements it has validated – mostly banks in the United States and Canada. You can import statements from other banks too, but Xero says the accuracy of the results may vary for those. For an occasional, clean statement from a listed bank, this route is often all you need. Check what it read against the statement before you complete the import.
Route 2: convert to OFX or CSV first
Converting is the better route when:
- you have a year or more of statements to catch up on, and want to check them together rather than one by one;
- your bank isn't on Xero's validated list – which includes many banks outside the US and Canada;
- you need to show that nothing is missing – every line checked against the printed balances, and no month skipped;
- the statements are photos or imperfect scans.
Xero recommends OFX where possible: it imports without any column mapping. A CSV works too, but you map the columns when you import it.
The CSV columns Xero expects
| Column | Notes |
|---|---|
| Date | Required. Use one date format for the whole file and pick the same format when you import – dd/mm/yyyy in the UK, Australia and New Zealand, mm/dd/yyyy in the US. |
| Amount | Required. Money in positive, money out negative, in one column. |
| Payee | Who was paid or who paid you – helps Xero suggest matches. |
| Description | The full text from the statement. |
| Reference | Optional. |
| Cheque / check number | Optional. |
Leave out opening and closing balance lines and totals – Xero would import them as transactions.
Importing the file
- In Xero, go to Accounting › Bank accounts.
- For the account you're importing into, open its menu and choose Import a Statement.
- Choose the file. For a CSV, match the columns and choose the date format.
- Review the transactions and complete the import, then reconcile them as usual.
Check before you import
Whichever route you take: opening balance + money in − money out must equal the closing balance on the statement, to the cent. With several months, each statement's closing balance must equal the next one's opening balance. How to run those checks in Excel.
Doing it with BalancedProof
Drop the PDFs or scans on the converter – a whole year at once if you like. Every row is checked against the balances printed on the statement, and each statement against the next, so you see straight away if a line was misread or a month is missing (more on that). Day/month order is detected from the statement; if a date could be read either way, you're told and can switch with one click. Then download OFX or Xero CSV – the CSV fills Payee, Description, Reference and Cheque Number, and leaves out balance lines. We've tested both by importing into Xero.
It is free for 5 pages a day without signing up; page packs start at $9. If a statement from your bank doesn't read correctly, email us and we'll look at it.